After a brutal defeat at the hands of the Snowbelle City Gym Leader Wulfric and a re-ignition of passion, our heroes return to the Gym where Ash is determined to claim his eighth and final Kalos League gym badge permitting him entry into the Kalos Pokemon League, can he overcome his final obstacle…
Snowbelle City Gym:
Pokemon Trainer Ash Ketchum VS Gym Leader Wulfric
"This battle will be a 3 on 3 Pokemon battle, the battle will be over when either trainer's Pokemon are all unable to continue. Furthermore only the challenger is permitted to make substitutions throughout the match" The official announced.
To his left, the challenger who a matter of days ago had been annihilated at the hands of the gym leader, Ash Ketchum.
Over to his right, the gym leader; Wulfric, a formidable powerhouse in battle and out of hit, his Pokemon only demonstrated the same brute force and sheer determination that made him one of the toughest gym leaders around, as gym leader, he threw his first Pokemon out.
"Stand by for battle, Bergmite" The Ice Chunk Pokemon stood there, watching Ash.
Ash looked down, Pikachu had jumped off from his shoulder, he wanted to battle,
"You wanna battle buddy?" he looked at the electric mouse.
"Pika...Pika" despite not knowing exactly, Ash had a good grip on what his partner had said, quite simply; "yes".
"OK, I choose you, Pikachu"
"Pikachu, Iron tail"
"Dodge it Bergmite" The Ice Chunk Pokemon swiftly skated on the ice, avoiding the hit.
"Icy wind Bergmite" it obeyed, the wind colliding with Pikachu hitting it to the ground.
"Pikachu, get up! And use thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped to its feet and sent the charge into the Bergmite.
Ash could see that the Bergmite was struggling after all, this was the same blast that could send a group of grown adults into the sky in the space of a hit, he took his chance…
"Volt tackle!" Pikachu acknowledged his trainer and made his move; "Pika Pika Pika...Chuuu" the move smashed into the Bergmite, sending him to the floor, amazingly he stood up.
"That's Bergmite's special ability, sturdy, allowing for him to just hang on!" Clemont informed Bonnie (his hyperactive sister) and Serena (their other travelling partner) the honey blonde just stared at Ash, she hoped he would win, she felt her hands almost subconsciously touch the blue ribbon that Ash had given her as a present, all that time ago at the pledging tree.
"Bergmite use Rapid spin" his voice dominated the arena, bringing Ash and the groups focus back to the battle at hand
"Pikachu dodge and use Iron tail, then use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded, Pikachu obeyed, swiftly jumping before slamming his metallic tail onto the bergmite before hitting it with a powerful thunderbolt, feinting it.
"Bergmite is unable to battle, so the winner of this round is Pikachu" The official confirmed.
"Alright Pikachu!" Ash was happy, he had knocked out one of Wulfric's Pokemon, but he knew he still had two powerful Pokemon remaining.
"Go Avalugg" He commanded, sending out the Iceberg Pokemon
"Pikachu can you carry on?" he looked at his partner for a response, his partner nodded and gave a determined look back to him, indicating he could.
"Avalugg use Avalanche" he issued the command, causing the downpour of ice and snow onto Pikachu who couldn't escape in time, Avalugg looked slow, but it's moves were anything but.
"Pikachu, are you OK?" the electric mouse pulled itself up "Use thunderbolt!" Ash continued the thunderbolt hit directly, obviously causing some pain, but Avalugg shrugged it off
"Use Stone Edge, now!" the stones erupted underneath, sending Pikachu up into the air, coming smashing back down, he had fainted.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, the winner is Avalugg!" the official confirmed.
Please Ash pull through, for me? Serena thought to herself, looking down at her ribbon, fiddling with it again, she was hoping that he would pull through, if not for her than for his Pokemon who he had trained extensively for a prolonged amount of time.
Bonnie was getting upset as well, she knew that Ash had been working hard, she looked at Serena as well, she understood that Serena had a crush on him, but she also understood that she was travelling with Ash who was about as dense as could be, and her brother, for all his intelligence with inventions, she couldn't fathom how Clemont couldn't see Serena's love for Ash, but at her age, Bonnie just assumed that boys just weren't as good at understanding emotions as girls were.
"I choose you, Talonflame!" Ash sent out the scorching Pokemon, "use Flame Charge!" he commanded, he knew that with the speed increase from flame charge giving speed to the already lightning fast Pokemon would give Avalugg little chance, at the same time doing super effective damage to it.
"Use Stone Edge" Wulfric countered almost immediately, the stones began to form under the bird, thankfully, Ash's increased speed tactic had worked, meaning that the stones couldn't keep up, and talonflame was undamaged.
"Use Brave Bird, whilst your using it, use flame charge at the same time!" Ash commanded, it was a risky move which could do more damage than good, but he wanted to end this, he knew the effects of flame charge would only last a small while.
Brave bird coloured Talonflame a dark blue colour, before being ignited by the flame charge, it was coming at Avalugg with unheard of speed, striking the target with some force.
The contact was unmistakable, the next thing that was seen was Avalugg slumping to the floor, knocked out.
"Avalugg is unable to battle, the winner is Talonflame!" the official confirmed.
"Alright Talonflame!" Ash exclaimed, the look of ecstasy on his face was unmistakable, one more Pokemon left, he knew the battle was only getting started.
Wulfric stared at Ash and acknowledged his progress; "you have gotten much stronger since the last battle, I'm impressed, but that doesn't mean I won't slow down."
Ash smirked before responding; "good, I wouldn't have it any other way, the stronger our opponent, the stronger we get!" Talonflame joined with excitement.
"Go Abomasnow!" he commanded, the forest tree Pokemon emerged, eager to avenge its defeat to Hawlucha in the previous battle.
"Use Blizzard!" he commanded, almost a recreation of the opening to Ash's last battle, he knew how tough this had just become.
"Use flame charge one more time!" Ash commanded, this time Wulfric was ready:
"Sidestep it and use wood hammer as it passes!" Ash couldn't stop Talonflame in time as the powerful Pokemon smashed his Talonflame into the ground, knocking it out.
"Talonflame is unable to battle, the winner is Abomasnow!" the official announced.
"OK, my last chance, Greninja! I choose you!" Ash exclaimed, the water Pokemon stood in a familiar ninja-esque pose, waiting for it's trainer's command.
"Greninja use double team then water shuriken!" Ash commanded, as the various forms of his Pokemon formed and surrounded the Abomasnow before unleashing the water shuriken hitting it directly, forcing the mighty Pokemon to stumble, but stood up.
"OK, enough games, Abomasnow... Mega evolve!" the keystone began to react with the abomasite, causing the Pokemon to reach a new stage of evolution, he continued; "use energy ball" the green ball was hurled at Greninja, Ash was ready
"Jump over it Greninja!" he beckoned to his Pokemon, which obliged, "Use aerial ace!" the Pokemon followed its orders and struck the Pokemon, doing little damage. Unlike mega evolution, going 'in sync' with Greninja couldn't be ordered, it sort of came naturally to the pair, worried Ash looked around for inspiration, when he saw it; Serena.
Ash felt a new passion burn inside of him as he looked into her ocean blue eyes, she was beautiful, wait, beautiful? Ash had caught himself using this foreign word to describe her, now he thought about it, he was right, her honey blonde hair, her sparkling blue eyes, she made him feel warm inside, unleashing new passion, new determination, did he like her as more than a friend? Ash found himself questioning himself about his interests in his friend, he had always preferred speaking to her over Clemont and Bonnie for that matter. He quickly came to the conclusion he would think about it later, first he had a badge to win…
"Greninja use water shuriken" the pokemon obliged, sprinting towards the opposition before barraging it with hits, making it stumble, when Ash felt it, he was going 'in sync' he looked at Greninja he was changing too.
Please Ash, finish this, I can't stand the thought of you losing, I hate seeing you hurt and suffer like that, please. Serena controlled herself, reasserting herself back to watching Ash's battle hoping someone had heard her.
"Ah, I have wanted to see this form!" Wulfric admired the changes.
"I can show you after you give me my badge!" Ash replied before continuing, "double team and then ariel ace!" the pokemon obliged, surrounding Abomasnow again before hitting it, Ash was certain this battle was close to finishing.
"Abomasnow use energy ball with everything you have!" Wulfric cried out to his Pokemon! The large green ball came flying at Greninja, Ash was ready again.
"Use cut to slice through the energy ball before using cut on Abomasnow!" he told his Pokemon, following through as the energy ball sliced into two pieces, Greninja followed up on the Abomasnow, knocking it out.
"Abomasnow is unable to battle, the winner is Greninja, therefore, the winner of the battle is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
His friends came down from the stands to congratulate him, to his surprise, Pikachu could tell that his trainer wasn't happy as he should have been for winning his final badge as Wulfric gave him his eighth badge, the iceberg badge, as his friends walked out, Ash looked at Pikachu, and asked his companion; "why are you looking at me like that?" he asked leading to Pikachu responded; "Pika Pika?" Ash understood vaguely that his partner had figured out what he had been thinking about during the battle... Serena...